i go to rio...

two for the price of one...

Since I didn't have ANY songs last Tuesday, here's another one for y'all. SOS from the movie Mamma Mia! "Sung" by Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

disco tanzparty

You know you love it! Happy ABBA Tuesday!

happyfallmonday

Gosh it is cold out there today. I am hunkered down in my cubicle with a nice hot earl grey vanilla creme tea latte from Argo - even sweeter because it was FREE! Their LoyalTea club ROCKS.

The weekend was PACKED. Friday - I don't think I had a moment to sit and think, I was on the go constantly. Which, to be honest, I really sort of love. I like to be busy. We had a luncheon, followed by a birthday "surprise" for my boss... we had cake for him upstairs and someone made the mistake of asking ME to round him up and get him up there. Queen of the Cunning Ruse, I am, apparently. I went into his office and said something like, we need you upstairs right now, but he looked at me and was like "I know what YOU'RE up to!" and then I started to smile. Busted. But he came and we sang and it was nice.

Friday was also our Season Opening event, Couture & Cocktails - we took over the Palmer House hotel with our party and fashion show. A real live runway show, right in the lobby of the hotel. It was crowded and noisy and awesome. I was working, but it was still much fun. It was also a bit of a "Stomp to the death" scenario as they would say on ANTM, because upstairs, the Goodman was also having an event - in one of the rooms we needed to set up in. Rival parties! Oh no! I also got many compliments on my dress - which, by the way, was a $50 find from H&M.

Saturday - met up with Livia and with Heidi and went to the Lill Warehouse Sample Sale. I know you are asking yourselves "Really with the bags, really?" But yes. Have you seen Lill bags? Too cute for words. And at the sale, they are DEEPLY on sale. But I was good. I got one bag (a "Hadley" - does that now make me Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq's new consort?) and a wristlet. This sale had less stuff than the one Heidi and I went to in the spring, which might be a good thing, honestly. Too much choice = me spending way too much $$ on bags.

Sunday I stayed home and recovered from the weekend. Watched da Bears - am glad they won because if they continued their stinkishness, I was seriously considering defecting and taking my NFL loyalties elsewhere. I was thinking Indianapolis. The Colts are a good team, right? Or else the Giants - anywhere with a Manning.

It must be fall - the other night, I dreamed about buying boots!

baryshnikov visits the joffrey!

Sometimes I think I have the coolest job on earth...

fondly do we hope...

I have to admit: I do not do much reflectvie thinking about Abraham Lincoln. I don't think that much about him at all, if I am honest. I mean, he was a great man, a great President (perhaps THE greatest president we've ever had, with all due respect and apologies to George Washington), I live in his Land, and I happily spend the currency that is marked by his wise and solemn visage. I was intrigued by the idea of Bill T. Jones's "Fondly do we hope... fervently do we pray" - a commissioned dance work reflecting on Lincoln's legacy during this year, the bicentennial of his birth.

Off we went to Ravinia on Saturday night for the last performance of the season. It's always sort of a melancholy place to be on the last night of the season - it was chilly, and empty (even though the restaurants were open and so it was possible to obtain one last carrot cupcake)and parking was free. (Okay, so that wasn't melancholy as such.) I didn't know what to expect - but the performance sure did deliver. It was a clever, skillful blend of dance, song, prose (from Walt Whitman, and from speeches made by the Man himself), and history. A quote from Vanity Fair says something about the past, present and future mingling freely in Jones' body and his body of work - sounds pretty, right? But watching the piece, I started to understand what the quote was saying. The 90 minute piece flashed back to the Civil War, and Lincoln's assassination, then fast forwarded, to snippets of modern day stories (each told through words and dance) and then fast forwarded again, to a person in the future. All tied together by the admiration of a great man, Lincoln, and how his legacy has impacted each one of us in turn.

It was pretty deep. When I was sitting there, I don't think I was able to absorb the whole of what was happening. I had not read anything about the work on purpose - I wanted to see it and then form opinions for myself about what was happening. Yeah, maybe not the best strategy here. But I've been reading now, about Jones and his work and I think I am able to more fully appreciate "fondly" on reflection. I have also posted Hedy Weiss's review on this blog - she may explain the details better than I have done here.

So yes. Overall a very rewarding and interesting close to the season. Until next summer, Ravinia.

Jones peaks with 'Hope' :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Hedy Weiss

Jones peaks with 'Hope' :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Hedy Weiss

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FREE JOFFREY PERFORMANCE TONIGHT!

Hey, Chicagoans! The world renowned Joffrey Ballet will be performing a free show tonight in Millennium Park! It's going to be a beautiful evening and a fantastic show, so bring have your last celebration picnic on the lawn and come see the dancing (you will most likely see me there - stop by and say hello!)

my life according to U2

My Life According to U2 - I know I did this with ABBA before, I decided to let Bono and the Edge write the story of my life, well, the names of their songs, anyway!

Are you a male or female? Party Girl

Describe yourself: the Sweetest Thing (shut up!)

How do you feel: I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

Describe where you currently live: Where the Streets Have No Name

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? The City of Blinding Lights

Your favorite form of transportation: Running to Stand Still

Your best friend is: The Wanderer

Your favorite color is: Lemon

What's the weather like: Some Days Are Better Than Others

Favorite time of day: 11 o'clock, tick tock

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: Zooropa

What is life to you: Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad

Your current relationship: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Breaking up: With or Without You

Looking for: Love & Peace Or Else

Wouldn't mind: Miracle Drug

Your fear: Shadows & Tall Trees

Best advice you have to give: Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Grace

Thought for the day:
I Threw a Brick Through a Window

How I would like to die: The Unforgettable Fire

My motto: Is That All?

no line on the horizon

Am currently obsessed w/this song. See if you can listen to it without joining in (loudly) on the OH-OH-OH-OHs...

Playbill News: LuPone and Mitchell to Star in Ravinia's Annie Get Your Gun

Exciting!
Playbill News: LuPone and Mitchell to Star in Ravinia's Annie Get Your Gun

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all you need is love & a rocket ship (part 2)

What can I say about the actual show? Seeing U2 live is like no other musical experience - we were in Soldier Field, for god's sake, with 70,000 people and it still felt like an intimate show. We were on our feet for the entire thing, cheering, dancing, singing along at the top of our collective lungs. It was nearly a religious experience - the shared love of the audience to the band, the love of the band for the audience, all led by our musical poet-prophet, Bono. What power he has. And impressively, he chooses to use it for good. He doesn't seem to be one of those crazy frivolous rock gods - he is sincere about using his fame for doing good - the ONE campaign, the inspi(red) clothing line and when he speaks, the world listens. This is fame on a whole new plane. They are even sort of above the critics at this point - a new album comes out, it is snapped up instantly - because hello? It's U2. Tickets go on sale, and people stop what they are doing the instant they go on sale to grab them. Personally, I will do just about anything to score U2 tickets. In the olden days, I remember ditching work to go and stand on line outside ticketmaster outlets waiting to purchase them. There is nothing quite like holding the treasured tickets in your hands. I remember another time when we were all on the phone to ticketmaster - their number was on speed dial. This most recent time, I was logged into ticketmaster online, finger poised over the button and ready to pounce. My neuroticness finally paid off, since I got in under the wire. Moments after I'd made our purchase, they were SOLD OUT. I know arts venues that would KILL to have this kind of problem (ahem! Lyric!!). I was so happy the rest of the day, just knowing I had tickets.

I loved every single minute of it - being with my friends, on a clear and gorgeous night, under the stars, listening to this awesome band. Is there anyone cooler than the Edge? I mean, come on, his name is the Edge (wouldn't you have loved to hear that playground conversation?? Little dave: "I am the EDGE!" Classmate: "No you're not! You're Dave!" etc) and he plays a mean guitar. And Adam Clayton? You know how in snowboarding there are 2 positions - looking cool and dead? Well, bass players only know how to look cool. It comes with the bass lessons, I think. It's all about the stance (I have no idea if what Bono told us during the show of his well-endowedness is true, and I don't want to find out!) And, oh, Larry. I wish I was a drummer. He really is their thunder and lightening. There was an awesome point in the show (well, heck, it was all pretty awesome) when Bono asked us to hold up our cell phones, so he could see us all with our lights. The stadium was filled with little screen sized beams of light, like our own little constellation. Stick with Bono, kids. With him, I think we really can change the world. He believes it, and during that show, I started to believe it too. Magnificent, indeed.

U2sday

Today, the Swedes cede the floor to the Irish boys... I know you are all heartbroken. I'm still in my happy concert bubble, so deal with it. Here the boys are on the roof of the BBC in London - and this is "Magnificent"

all you need is love (and a rocket ship)

Oh, why is it Monday? Why can't I stay in my happy little U2 induced state of euphoria for the next several years? Come into my bubble, please, and stay awhile. It's nice here, and the music is rocking. Saturday, Heidi, Jane & I set off in the early afternoon - we hit MSI, but weird timing and strange museum hours (closing at 4:00? On a weekend? Really?) kept us from seeing Harry Potter, but we did see the Fairy Castle and the U505 submarine, in its new, cool permanent home, and that was awesome (although not at all yellow, as I'd been led to believe. And if you are at home, you should have left your code book on the plane!) and nostalgic. More trippin' down memory lane was in store, for Heidi & Jane as we cruised the U of C campus looking for a place to eat. We picked Leona's and had a lovely dinner and had some trivia while we waited.

And then - it was time. Can I tell you how long I've been waiting for this concert?? I don't think there is any other artist on this planet that I will happily drop everything for and spend 45 bucks on parking for, either. The mood in the Soldier Field parking lot was festive - people were tailgating, drinking beers, making "sassage" and all around us, U2 was blasting out of car speakers. Ah, yes, we found the right place! We had to park "where Jesus left his sandals" as someone said to me once. In this case, that meant way the hell far away from the stadium almost at McCormick Place. Lucky for me, I wore comfy shoes...

Only U2 could sell out their tickets to a stadium show within half an hour of when they went on sale. And only U2 would shlep this crazy-ass stage around the world with them.

Funky, right? Like a giant space alien, ready to attack. Since I had my finger on the ticket-buying button for this show for about half an hour prior to when they went on sale, I scored us seats in section 130. Naturally, never having been to Soldier Field before, I had no idea where these were, I was so relieved that I'd actually procured tickets, I just about wept with joy. They ended up being in the end zone (end opposite the one shown in the picture up there).

Strangely, the entire row in front of us stayed pretty much empty the whole time. Since there were about 17 seats there, we wondered what had happened. My guess was an unsuccessful scalper or ticket website bought the whole block and was unable to sell them at their ridiculous double or triple face value cost. Good news for us, though, since we didn't have anyone in front of us (except for one dude who came down and parked it. We know it wasn't his seat because he asked if anyone was sitting there. Our theory was that he was a refugee from the no-man's-land known as secion 447 - way the hell up in outer space - aka the rim of the stadium's new and unattractive "space ship" addition. The climb up to the top of that thing is practically vertical. If you look above my head in the pic above, you'll see what I mean. How scary is that section way up at the top? It's just sort of hanging off the side of the building, attached to a lot of nothing. This is why I never, ever, ever, ever go for the cheap seats. Ever.
Snow Patrol was our opening act - and I think they were the best band we've seen open for U2. I only know one song of theirs, "Chasing Cars" but the other songs were good too. Their frontman endeared himself to the crowd by saying "What's up, Chicago?" a lot and also by wearing a blue t-shirt with a big orange C on it (a Bears shirt. By the way they played last night, though, they deserve no cool band affiliation). He asked us to help him fulfill a lifelong dream of his by singing along with one of his songs ("So sing one we know, then," someone behind me muttered.) He gave us a line to sing we sang it. It must be cool to be in a ginormous stadium and have the crowd sing along with you.
The crowd gave them nice reception - I think it must kind of suck to be the opener for a group like U2, knowing that the crowd is really only humoring you while waiting for the main attraction. Still, the applause was rather polite and the crowd seemingly subdued. I knew though that we'd all perk up once U2 hit the stage... But we had to wait... and so do you, because I gotta go and get some work done!

you know i'll go crazy (if i don't go crazy tonight)

Wheeeeeee! U2 tonight! I am sososososososososo excited. I was up at the crack of 7:30 - did some laundry, hit the gym, went to the bank, had breakfast (delicious cinnamon crunch bagel and caramel apple tea latte at Panera), came back here, showered, did more laundry, watched the dudes next door dig a ginormous trench in the front yard (maybe to hide the bodies? Am not sure, but it is very diverting to watch. One guy is doing all the work, and the others are behind him, gabbling in Spanish giving him orders apparently, but not helping at all.), fed my two starving kitties, went to get stuck with needles (allergy shots! four of them! every week for ever and ever. My injectionist always gives me treats each week - this week she gave me a kitkat and tootsie pops for the concert.) and NOW I am waiting for my friends to come and get me so we can have an awesome adventure in the city and then.... BONO. Best. Weekend. Ever?? I think the answer to that is clearly yes.

Our plan is to go to MSI for the Harry Potter exhibit. I have not been there in years and years and years. I remember we went in grade school - through the coal mine, onto the U505 submarine... So recapturing our childhood is on tap for today. As well as channeling our inner rock stars. Hmmmmm. Shall I bring my Ravinia jelly ring???

if only angels could prevail, we'd be the way we were...

Here we are, on 9/11, 9 years later. I still remember every detail of that day -hearing the news from the plumber, then being at work. We had a staff meeting that day, so food had been ordered in, but we didn't want to meet. We sat around at our computers instead, desperate for news. I remember putting on music for comfort - Renee Fleming singing O Silver Moon from Rusalka. I remember the eerie sound of silence - no airplanes flying overhead. I remember candelight memorials and the deep, profound feeling of innocence lost. I remember the (brief) drive to work that morning, and feeling that while everything looked the same - my street, my home, my office, the same trees, the same sky, the same everything - that things had changed, they felt different.

U2009

Bono's coming!!! On Saturday!!! I am so excited, I have never been to Soldier Field for anything, and now I get to go and see U2, my favoritest band on earth!! To honor the occasion, I will share with you some Wisdom from the Philosopher Hewson, which seems particularly appropos today (if you want to know what that means, just ask).

Ready to absorb his profoundest wisdom?
"Don't let the bastards grind you down." - from the song "Acrobat" which appears on U2's album Achtung Baby and also on the soundtrack to my sophomore english project on The Handmaid's Tale.

love is a tune you hum-di-hum-hum

An ABBA Tuesday field trip for y'all! Yes! I am making you work for your 70s Swedish band fix! The real video for this one is disabled for embedding, so take a trip here to see the video for Bang A Boomerang, today's selection.

the cso: music made for you

"Halp! Ah fought Cats wuz coming bak 2 Chicago!"

Some Enchanted Evening...

I am refusing to believe that summer is over - I mean, it hardly even got started. In clinging to my delusions, I grabbed a pair of tickets for the Rodgers & Hammerstein concert, featuring Kelli O'Hara and Jason Danieley (taking over for the ailing Paulo Szot) that was performed at Ravinia on Labor Day's Eve - or, as I've been hearing it called lately, School Year's Eve (AKA yesterday). Ravinia, with it's lush green lawns and happy people picnicking always says summer to me, even though this year, more often than not, I've needed to bring a jacket with me when I have gone. Last night, it was a bit cool - in the 70s when we left home, lower when the evening was over. We arrived to find a PACKED parking lot (we had to park in the final row, practically in the bushes) and an even more PACKED park. Did that many people love R&H? Was Highland Park chock full of secret Kelli O'Hara fans? Was everyone, like me, clinging to the final happy and carefree days of summer? Well, it turned out there was some kind of Highland Park celebration happening, that brought in a crowd of old folk on buses. Let me tell you - these people take their picnicking seriously. Blankets, chairs, pillows, candelabra, 18 course spread... the works!

For us, it was early dinner (at home), drive to the park (which rather accounts for the car-in-the-bushes-scenario, does it not?), brief snack at one of Ravinia's many (delightful yet overpriced) dining emporia - in this case, a delicious chocolate toffee cupcake (PS bravo to whoever decided to introduce my favorite pastries into the mix at Ravinia. I will love you forever.) a brief turn around the lawn, and then into the pavilion for the show.

The performance was introduced by Ravinia's head honcho, Welz Kauffman, who dedicated the evening to the late Erich Kunzel, who'd passed away last week. The Ravinia Festival Orchestra was led by Ted Sperling, who also served as our guide for the evening. He introduced all of the pieces for us, providing some conductorly commentary, jokes and little stories.

The program included music from Oklahoma - which began with Mr. Danieley, off stage, singing "Oh what a beautiful mornin'." Just a word on him, here - this was his Ravinia debut, and the first time I'd heard him perform, although in my recent Playbill.com explorations, I've become positively addicted to Seth Rudetsky's Onstage & Backstage column - I've been reading his older posts (obsessively, every day)and he talks about Jason Danieley quite a bit, in his role in The Full Monty, particularly. So I knew who he was and - he was wonderful. Such a beautiful voice - he sang "Soliloquy" from Carousel so incredibly gorgeously, and his "Some Enchanted Evening" was also glorious. JD, you can sing to me anytime you want. I will listen {swoon}!

Speaking of Carousel, is there anything more glorious than the "Carousel Waltz"? I really don't think there is. The music is so freeing, I almost felt as though I could step out of the pavilion and be in a fairground, seeing the carousel twinkling festively in the background, the carnies hunkering lecherously around the rides... oh, wait, that's the Morton Grove carnival I am thinking of now.

And then there was Kelli O'Hara. I saw her (about a million years ago) in The Light in the Piazza. It was officially the second show I saw on Broadway (Avenue Q being the first. More on that - on the eve of its closure - later in the week). I never got around to seeing her in South Pacific - it was on my list a few times, but then other things would take over on my New York trips. But she is really just amazing - cute as a button, and she looked incredible, considering that she had a baby 10 weeks ago! WOW! She sang "Cockeyed Optimist" and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific, "Mister Snow" and "If I Loved You" from Carousel something billed on the program as "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music, which was really "Climb ev'ry mountain" (which brought me back to my 8th grade graduation ceremony, of all things, because we had to sing that song. We all wanted to sing something like "That's What Friends are For" or "From a Distance" or something, but instead we got stuck w/that clunker...Kelli sounded much better singing it than we did as a bunch of seriously cheesed off eighth graders.)

She also was joined by Ted Sperling on "Ten Minutes Ago I saw You" from the made-for-Julie-Andrews tv special Cinderella. What a charming and multitalented guy. Just add some zany hair, and I think he'd be my favorite conductor.

They ended with "An Old Fashioned Wedding" from Annie Get Your Gun which is not, as you may have noticed, by Rodgers & Hammerstein, but by Irving Berlin. The show was, according to Mr. Sperling, produced by R&H, which is why he included it in the evening, plus, he just really liked the song. There were two encores - one by either R or O and Jerome Kearn (I don't remember now what he said. And I didn't recognize the song, either, so sorry about that. Use your imagination and think of a beautiful duet, sung by voices that would be at home sung by angels sitting on clouds in heaven and you get the idea.) Then, finally, there was "Getting to Know You" from The King & I. Just when I was taking another trip down memory lane - I sang this song as a duet with a classmate for a Solo & Ensemble competition, and I sang harmony. We got a damn 2, after all the effort and gorgeous harmonizing - we were invited to sing along! So much fun! And I still remembered my harmonies!

Another gorgeous night at Ravinia. Only one more trip there is left for this summer in a few weeks for Bill T. Jones'dance commission honoring Abraham Lincoln. Oh by the way - rumor has it that the national tour of South Pacific will be making a stop at Rosemont Theater in November. "I won't be there," Kelli told us (she will be back in New York) "But see it anyway!" Well, if you say so...

bjorn again...

Our friend Bjorn wrote Does Your Mother Know. In the Mamma Mia! book, he muses on the song, and says "This song has me singing the lead - to be honest, I don't know why. I really don't like listening to myself singing... I'm not a singer, but it can be an interesting exercise sometimes. My voice is not bad, and it's even a bit charming in a song like "Does Your Mother Know," I think."

In the movie, Mamma Mia! Christine Baranski's character (Patsy? No wait, I'm getting confused) cougar-ed it up and sang the song to a flirty young guy, but Bjorn says it's not supposed to be all creepy, 'what's up, little girl, does your mother know that you're out?' "I had the idea of reversing the situation (of an older guy-younger girl relationship) and creating a song about a man who, instead of trying to pick up a girl, turns round and says "Oh, does your mother know that you're out" (but not in a creepy way!). "And I also know this phrase "Does your mother know" which I'd come across in a book or magazine and it fitted so well with the overall idea."

Straight from the horse's mouth. Happy ABBA Tuesday!